Only the bold can face this Maasai ceremony


By Isaac Ongiri

Initiates parade outside Impiron village in Loitokitok in readiness to undergo a traditional ritual.


The acrid smell of cow dung mixed with red ochre pervades the atmosphere as thousands of young Maasai youths sit huddled together at the start of their age group’s most important initiation ceremony.

They are about to undergo the Maasai rite of passage into moranism, which has become more symbolic than traditional due to the advent of education and influence on culture by modern times.

Initiates parade outside Impiron village in Loitokitok in readiness to undergo a traditional ritual.

But Maasai elders are keen to maintain the remaining vestiges of the community’s world-acclaimed culture.

And such was the moment when more than 4,000 Maasai morans recently gathered at Impiron village for a special coronation before being ushered into moranism.

The process is punitive, breathtaking, spectacular and largely horrifying to the uninitiated observer.

First, they spend their last night in the jungle before bathing in a slow flowing cold river at dawn.

According to traditional chief Lekato ole Mento, the community has kept its tradition of modeling warriors for protection from "external invasion".

Future army

"The 4,000 young men you are seeing here will be the community’s army. They have to sacrifice, and their courage must be tested to ascertain whether they are ready to become men," Mento states.

Mento was picked to lead eight selected and traditionally anointed old men from the age group whose sons would be graduating through the ceremony. At Impiron village, everything is arranged and order and protocol are adhered to, to the letter.

At the manyatta, the eight old men are in charge; they direct guests arriving for the ceremony and give briefs on the programme as they constantly consult the chief when not sure.

The process in solemn and very important in the lives of the initiates. Each one of them is careful to heed the advice of the elders.





An Elder, Nkiminis ole Mekoki smears special cream on one of the initiates.

Photos: Pius Cheruiyot/Standard


Several groups of young men in the region, some of them from as far as Moshi and Arusha in Tanzania, are also enjoined in the process, controlled by the power of one Oloibon (Maasai elder) Salaal ole Matunda of Kilimanjaro.

"He is the overseer. He advises the community and without his blessings, nothing happens," says Saroni ole Kamei.

The Oloibon has picked a name for the age set of 4,000 youths — "Iltwati".

On the last day, before they receive special blessings from Nkiminis Mekoki, the man the elders have picked to smear a special cream on the warriors’ faces, the morans are treated to a tumultuous reception at the manyatta.

They sing songs as they run around the homesteads with elders standing at each entrance to ensure none of them gets access to the manyatta.

"We do not allow them into the homestead before they spend their last day out and their bravery tested," says Kimonos.

No room for cowards

The rogue ones who are tempted into the manyatta are treated to caning by elders.

"Caning is no punishment. It just signifies the amount of suffering the initiates should expect when they become warriors. It also ensures high standards of discipline," says Mekoki.

While in the bush, the boys try their hands at war with the wildlife. They kill snakes, lions, hyenas and other wild animals.

But for this particular rite, the boys have been advised not to kill lions, and KWS rangers deployed to keep watch as the boys spend time in the wild ensure this.

"We have organised for KWS rangers to be around, not necessarily to interfere but to ensure the lions are not attacked by our warriors," says Assistant Minister Katoo ole Metito, who is a member of the age set whose first born sons are graduating.

Metito says the ceremony that is planned every seven to eight years costs the organisers close to 150 cows, as it runs for 30 days.

"I don’t know how much that can cost us because we don’t bother as long as the ceremony is successful," says Nkiminis.

On the final day, guests from all walks of life are invited, with juicy nyama choma (roast meat) available in plenty.

The boys are well fed, and then they each take blessings from the anointed man Nkiminis, who together with his wife and son smears "blessed" oil on each and every face.

Final stage

Those who qualify at this stage are then circumcised and declared warriors and mandated to be in charge of the community security.

According to Metito, the initiated and circumcised group will undergo another ritual known as eunoto as the previous morans hand over to them.

The minister, however, says modernity is fast catching up with the cultural practice that has survived the years.

"They cannot kill lions like we did but only snakes. They can also not practice moranism all through because they have to go to school," he adds.

http://www.eastandard.net/specialreports/InsidePage.php?id=1143994696&cid=259&

Taming harsh sunrays to make cooking easy




Mrs Julia Puka checks to see if a meal is cooked and ready to be served.
Photos: Peter Ochieng/Standard



Published on 25/07/2008
By Isaiah Lucheli

The blazing sun and harsh conditions in the semi-arid Pokot makes farming almost impossible.

Many of the villagers depend on relief rations from the Government and livestock rearing for their survival.

Water sources have dried up and farming along the riverbanks is no longer sustainable.

Cattle rustling, the high rate of school dropouts, malnutrition and early marriages have for many years been part of the people’s lifestyle.

It is for that reason that women in Pokot Central District decided to brainstorm and see how they could make use of the blazing sun.


The women place a black painted pan in a polythene bag in readiness for cooking
They had for many years preserved food and dried vegetables for storage using the scorching sun’s heat.

But never had they thought that they could use the sun to make some income until they ventured in the production of solar cookers.

They grappled with the idea, bought material with the little money they could raise and begun making a few solar cookers in 2003.

They then organised themselves into the Wei Wei women group and started using old carton boxes and aluminium foils to make cookers for domestic use.
Today, they sensitise the villagers on how to use the cookers by holding demonstrations during market days in the vast district.

The cookers, made from used carton boxes covered with aluminium foil, are curved into hexagonal shapes.

“The scorching sun and the harsh climatic conditions in the region have made the cookers ideal for the area. The cooker is known as ‘Cook It’,” explains group Treasurer Julia Pukat.

Sell thousands of cookers

From the humble beginning when the women made a handful of cookers for members at a small fee, they now sell thousands of the cookers.

Pukat explains that ‘Cook It’ design enables the user to curve them in a hexagon shape to facilitate the placing of the cooking pan in the middle.

The biggest problem encountered by the women is the sourcing of aluminium foil and the cartons.

“We buy cartons and the foil from supermarkets in Kitale and Eldoret, but the good sales we make cover the cost,” says Pukat.

“The shape of the cooker enables the sun rays to be directly deflected on the cooking pan. However, the user has to keep turning the cooker in the direction of the sun’s rays,” she adds.


Heat retention

Pukat explains that the cooking pan and its lid are painted black to enable them retain heat as the foil in the boxes reflect the scorching sunrays to the cooking pan.

Mrs Julia Puka checks to see if a meal is cooked and ready to be served.
Photos: Peter Ochieng/Standard

She says that in an effort to ensure the food is cooked within a short period, the pan containing the food is wrapped in a polythene bag before being placed on ‘Cook It’.

"The polythene bag used must be checked to ensure it is not torn. After the pan with its lid is placed in the polythene bag, it is tied with a thread," she told The Standard in an interview in Sigor market.

To facilitate effective cooking, three tiny wooden pieces of wood are placed on the base of the cooker. These are the ones that prop the pan in the right position.
Pukat further explains that clean water is scarce in the region, but the solar cookers enable them purify drinking water. This had led to a reduction in waterborne diseases.

"We have a gadget we use to measure the impurity level in the water. If it lies horizontally in the water after boiling then it is safe for drinking," she explains.
Pukat displayed a small cylindrical glass-like gadget with some fluid inside and a long string.

She says the cookers are hygienic and they are used in the drying of vegetables and fruits to facilitate storage.

"Our area is arid and there is no meaningful agriculture but we normally have mangoes, paw paws and vegetables harvested from the Wei Wei irrigation scheme. We dry and store our harvest for future use," she says.

Pukat adds that since its inception in 2003, the group had attracted more than 500 members, from a paltry 10 who started the organisation.

Revolutionised cooking

A beneficiary of the project, Josephine Wakini explains that the cooker had revolutionised her cooking at her Lomut home.

She says the scorching sun had come in handy.
"I used to trek for long distances in search of firewood, but the situation now is different. I have less to worry about. The cooking process is simple, hygienic, with less preparation time," she says.

The women have been raising awareness on the benefits of the solar cookers and sell them at Sh1,200 a piece.

Wakini explains that she has stopped worrying about her lungs due to smoke from firewood. She also pays less attention to the cooking process.

The process, she says, is simple. One mixes her ingredients with, for example, beef or vegetables and some water before putting it in the cooker.

The solar cookers can prepare a wide variety of foodstuff and the time taken depends on the type of food.

For instance, it takes one hour to fry meat, cook rice and groundnuts.
Wakini says a mixture of maize and beans commonly known as githeri takes two hours, but the mixture has to be soaked overnight.

She adds that the preparation of ugali takes at least one and a half hours and explains that the process is easy and convenient.

The organisation's Chairlady, Agnes Lokitare, explains that Solar Cooking International officials trained them further on how to make the cookers.

"An Italian organisation also played a key role in facilitating us to make the solar cookers. We are now able to effectively harness sunrays for our benefit," she says.
The group has been able to reach out to more than 1,000 women in Ortum, Chepariria and Sigor and they are in the process of moving to Turkana District.

"God gave us the sun for free and we are happy that now we can also see the positive side of its scorching heat. Initially we used to blame the sun for all our woes," explains Lokitare.

The solar cookers are not only a blessing for the local people, but also play a key role in environment conservation.

"The issue of firewood is becoming an aspect of the past. The workload in our homes has reduced. One can leave the food cooking as she carries out other chores without any fear of the food burning," she explains.

The kit includes a cooking pan, lid, the cooker, the gadget for measuring water impurity, polythene bag and three tiny pieces of wood for positioning the pan.

The women have, however, faced many challenges in their struggle. Lack of transport to traverse markets in the vast district and extreme weather conditions are some of the factors that hamper their efforts.

But they are determined to make use of the blazing sun for the betterment of their lives, their families and that of the community.

http://www.eastandard.net/specialreports/InsidePage.php?id=1143990877&cid=259&

Thirst spreads as shortage of water persists




Samples of contaminated water presented to Water Minister Charity Ngilu when she visited Mandera. The area experiences a perennial water shortage. Picture: Boniface Ongeri

Published on June 6, 2008, 12:00 am

By Adow Jubat and Boniface Ongeri

The adage, "the early bird catches the worm" may be true for residents of Mandera West Constituency.

Each morning, they wake to lick dew from plants to quench their thirst.
To them, the perennial water scarcity has turned into a nightmare.

"It doesn’t really quench our thirst, but keeps us going during the day’s intense temperatures," Mr Alnur Osman, 84, says as he moves his tongue from one leaf of a neem tree to another.

Dogged by a perennial water crisis, the residents of this remote constituency want a lasting solution.

"The dew only helps to minimise thirst but as you can see, we are dirty for not washing. We need water," Alnur says.

While the rest of the country is exploring prospects for oil and improved agricultural turnover, the constituency is yet to have a reliable water supply.
Several excavations have been done, but none has been successful.
Children have not been spared by this crisis.

Many have dropped out of school to join their parents in search of the precious commodity.

In the dry dusty roads, they flag down motorists, begging for water. A resident, Mr Ibrahim Adan Mohammed, says women do not attend to their chores fully because they spend most of their time looking for water.

Like schools, health centres have been worst affected, with most hospital facilities turning into health hazards instead.

Pans and dams that harvest the commodity during the rare rains are all dry as short rains last year and this year’s long rains failed.

A spot check on several dams and pans in Mandera reveal that most have dried up while others are a murky puddle.

At least eight locations are experiencing scarcity and require water tinkering, according to the DC John Kinja.

Several villages have been deserted as the occupants set out to look for water and pasture for their livestock and families.

Takaba, the constituency-cum-district headquarters, is not spared either. During the recent homecoming ceremony for area MP Mohammed Maalim Mahamud, visitors including Water minister Charity Ngilu and six Members of Parliament were shown samples of water full of algae that residents drink.

Concocted faces from the visitors said it all.

"I am ashamed to be the Water minister if this is the kind of water people drink here," Mrs Ngilu said.

A glimpse of the locals’ predicament greeted the entourage as they landed in a dusty airstrip.

"Welcome Minister Ngilu, but 45 years since independence, we have no water," the residents said, with some displaying banners to drive home the point.

Mandera badly needs water since it is predominantly a Muslim community in which everything depends on water.

Human-wildlife conflict

It is widely used to wash corpses before burial and for ablution in preparation for prayers.

Ngilu ordered an emergency delivery of water to the residents.
But even so, the residents are bracing for another bout of confrontation with wildlife, particularly baboons, over the scarce water sources.

"We often treat patients injured by baboons every year," Mr Ismail Tulo, a clinical officer at the local health centre, said.

Security personnel have also been caught in the fray. In Kiliweri, Elgofa, Banissa, Dandu and Darwet locations, security officers are now armed with firearms on one hand and jerricans on the other as they join the residents in search of water over long distances.

"Our major job here is to look for water besides ensuring security," an officer in Takaba said.

The Regional Manager for Water Resource Management Authority Ali Yarrow, says that since 1934, 18 trials to drill boreholes have been unsuccessful.

"The sites include Takaba, Kiliweri, Elgoffa, Wangai, Banisa, Guba, Darwet and Dandu," Yarrow said.

Between 2001 and 2006, some 12 sites were investigated, but only one at Khokai Hamansa was recommended for drilling to the depth of 350 metres. It was dry.
However, a site at Ereb Kuki along the Wargadud-Shimbir Fatuma road junction recommended in 1985 by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation geologists has not been drilled to date.

The military tried to drill two boreholes in Darwet, but they were also unsuccessful.
Local MP Mahamud said he would engage professionals to conduct a study on how the entire Mandera district’s needs can be addressed, including intensive hydro geological survey to identify fractured sites.

In the meantime, the residents will be waking up everyday before the sun strikes to lick dewdrops.

http://www.eastandard.net/specialreports/?id=1143987924&cid=259

IDPs should be resettled in a peaceful environment

Published on May 24, 2008, 12:00 am

By Dr Kiplege Zochin

Resettling displaced persons in Rift Valley requires a sustainable mechanism for peace building and conflict resolution which may entail participatory strategies.
The efforts should involve the affected communities and their leaders. We cannot afford the consequences of forced resettlement.

Dialogue should be initiated in all affected areas. Chiefs and their assistants, councillors, church leaders and local elders should be involved in the peace talks. Each group should be encouraged to express their fears and suspicions.

Forced settlement will not work. It was recently reported that IDPs felt the Government was coercing host communities to accept them back. This was confirmed last week when IDPs who had been transported back to their farms in Burnt Forest returned to their camps. Mr Julius Nderitu, an IDP from Rukuini farm in Uasin Gishu District, reportedly said the situation on the ground forced him to return to the camp.

"You cannot force your way into enemy territory without reconciliation. Now they think we want to forcefully go back there, yet it is the Government that wants us to," he said. And Archbishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret Catholic Diocese called on the Government to pursue dialogue.

Agriculture Minister, Mr William Ruto, concurs. He recently visited the IDPs at the Eldoret Showground accompanied by some Rift Valley MPs. He is reported to have told the victims to move only when they were ready, and that they should not be forced out of the camps.

The different communities should be brought together to discuss how they can co-exist without suspicion. It should involve striking deals on issues of mutual interest that cement their relationship. Their resolutions should be documented through minutes for future references.


Peace-building and conflict resolution

The proceedings of such meetings should be made sacred through prayers led by traditional and religious leaders. The local administration and humanitarian agencies can come in as facilitators.

Everybody’s participation in peace-building and conflict resolution will help protect the remaining limited resources. This includes human lives and infrastructure. Reconstruction is therefore an expensive undertaking.

We should build peace through initiatives that ensure destruction does not happen again.

Aid agencies have a crucial role in conflict prevention. This entails early warnings, grassroots peace building and networking with responsible decision-makers. The challenge of putting in place preventive measures to conflict is a fundamental global concern.

Two functions are expected of humanitarian and aid agencies. First is to give early warnings before a conflict erupts or escalates.

Second, they should engage the community in a gradual process to change attitude, perception and biased beliefs through education workshops, conflict transformation and conflict resolution.

Early warnings imply proactively taking part in actions that counter a plausible conflict. An aid agency working in a particular area needs to be on the alert, regularly making analyses of the political and social situation.

The challenge, therefore, is for these agencies to design strategic engagements to prevent conflict.

During last year’s election campaigns, the Government and peace agencies should have expected any eventuality, including inter-ethnic violence. They should have taken corrective measures to avert the post-election skirmishes.

This also puts into sharp focus the Government’s own early warning systems, through the National Security Intelligence Service.

There is need for present and future coordinated efforts towards conflict prevention.
We need sustainable peace-building and conflict resolution.

-The writer (ronzochin@yahoo.com) is a management consultant in Nairobi

http://www.eastandard.net/commentaries/?id=1143987132&cid=15

The Clintons in sorrow as Obama sings ‘Yes, we can!’

By Okech Kendo

Hillary Clinton’s campaign is broke. She is borrowing to stoke dying embers of hope.

The woman who represents corporate America has run out of campaign cash and donors, while her rival Barack Obama’s vote-hunting war chest climbs by the dollar. Obama, the precocious second-generation Kenyan-American is propelled by the audacity of hope, with the call: "Yes, we can!"

Hillary has also depleted the bank of those who believe she still can, as she continues to lose those who believed she could. Supporters are pleading with her to quit with grace than waiting to exit in disgrace, too shrivelled to bargain.

Quit, when your stocks are still redeemable, is the message Hillary does not want to hear — not just yet.

Not that those who say she should leave love Hillary less, but they admire Obama more.

Near the sunset on the gruelling primaries for party presidential candidate, Democrats understand there is more to the race than Hillary claiming she is ready to be commander-in-chief on day one.

"Barack Obama has waged a very effective campaign. He is an unusually capable and talented man. I frankly didn’t know him when I endorsed Hillary last October," a Democratic Party leader and former US senator from South Dakota, who made failed attempt at White House in 1972, told Reuters, last week.

Americans who did not believe a black man could, within their lifetime, make such a winning bid for the White House, are joining the change-hungry. Their inspiration is Obama’s chorus, "Yes, we can!" And they are saying, "Yes, he can!"

Obama is leading in State support, pledged delegates and super-delegates. Super-delegates nominate the Democratic Party presidential candidate during the August Convention, if the race gets that far. The Democrat would then face the Republican nominee John MacCain in the November General Election.

Last week Hillary had a victory in Indiana that tasted like a loss. Obama had a loss that was too tight it seemed like a win.

Hillary’s two-point win in Indiana and Obama’s earlier 14-point lead in North Carolina gave the precocious ‘Kenyan’ new gravitas.

Hillary is in a quandary. Delegates no longer return her telephone calls. Donors are not keen on banking on a candidate on the losing trail. Now, it’s only Hillary who lends to the Hillary campaign.

Obama needs just 150 total delegates to win the nomination. Hillary still must convince 320 to reach the touchline. Even her most ardent supporters say she has no mathematical chance of winning. Not even Tuesday win in West Virginia can salvage her ambition.

Does not believe this is over

Hillary is fighting on, but Oregon and Kentucky, voting on May 20, may not rescue her from the precipice.

The Clinton clan is moaning. After the narrow win in Indiana last week, Bill Clinton was described as looking as "sour as a giant cranberry".

Her daughter Chelsea "appeared to be on the verge of tears".

Hillary, dressed in fluorescent scarlet, was described as "dagger-eyed and guns blazing in a remake of the zombie movie Dawn of the Dead".

The First Daughter who used to introduce her mother as "the next president of the United States" now remembers to add "hopefully".
"Apart from Hillary herself, it is very hard to find people who do not believe this is over," says one commentator.

"She is in denial." The woman is battered, bruised and brazen, but she is not quitting. She borrows to stay on.

From the Obama-Hillary duel we learn that small people across small towns that contribute, say, Sh500 or Sh1,000 are stronger than captains of corruption who donate Sh100m, at Sh1m-a-plate dinners at five-star hotels in Nairobi.

Such are the captors who force ‘bad candidates’ with power to rig elections, so the benefactors can recoup their ‘investments’. Those who donate Sh500 with clean hearts just want good governance.

That Obama could win with petty cash from largely nondescript Democrats is a lesson for Kenya’s would-be presidential candidates.

Hillary is heading towards a fall. Then she would probably plead with Obama to name her his running mate — a potential first woman vice-president of the United States.
The New York senator had tasted White House as the First Lady.

But her attempt to return to Washington as president and commander-in-chief, is in trouble after the Indiana-North Carolina stumble.

Pride is about the only thing that stands between former President Bill Clinton’s wife and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

-The writer (kendo@eastandard.net) is The Standard Managing Editor, Quality and Production

http://www.eastandard.net/columnists/?id=1143986619&cid=190

A time to heal

Story by BERNARD NAMUNANE
Publication Date: 4/18/2008


Mr Raila Odinga, Prime Minister



President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga Thursday pledged to work together to heal and re-unite the country.


The President called for the speedy resettlement of internal refugees while the Prime Minister pledged to lead the campaign against violence. He also extended an olive branch to the Mungiki sect members who have been blamed for chaos in which over 11 people were killed this week.

The two leaders spoke when the Grand Coalition Cabinet was sworn in at State House, Nairobi, Thursday.

Said President Kibaki: “Now that we have agreed to work together, let us not go back to what we have come from. The most important thing was coming together and we should not stray from the course.”

Mr Odinga had earlier said: “There will not be two Cabinets but one Cabinet. On this, I and President Kibaki are in full agreement.”

Thursday’s ceremony was witnessed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and chief mediator Kofi Annan among other dignitaries and diplomats.

After taking his oath of office, Mr Odinga promised to spearhead efforts to end further violence in the country.

“We want our Mungiki brothers to come out and talk to us to end the killings. We will go an extra mile to ensure there is peace in this great country of ours. We do not want to see Kenyans killing each other,” he said,

For Mr Annan, the former UN secretary-general, the ceremony was the fruit of his mediation effort which saw President Kibaki and Mr Odinga sign a power-sharing deal on February 28, ending two months of violence over the disputed presidential elections which left more than 1,200 people dead and 350,000 displaced from their homes.

The President and the Prime Minister pledged that the grand coalition will work as a team.

President Kibaki said he had spoken to Mr Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka on the need for a united administration that has to pull the country out of the political and economic crisis and place it firmly on the path to recovery and progress.

Taken oath

Mr Odinga, who had just taken the oath to become the country’s second PM since independence, said PNU and ODM had come together to form one government and assured Kenyans that there was only one centre of power.

“We have decided to create a grand coalition government; we are not creating two governments but one,” he said.

Those present at the ceremony said it signalled fresh hope and highlighted the need to promote peace and unity and end violence that shook the country’s stability in January and February. The cost of the violence to the economy was estimated at over Sh260 billion.
Mr Annan, the man who helped the parties to find a solution to the crisis that was tearing the country apart, said Kenya had been on the edge of destruction and the new administration must nurture the peace that has been established.

“Kenya was on the brink but now that you have started a new journey, you must stay the course. Some times we tend to treat peace like we treat good health. You never know its value until you lose it. Peace is precious; let us not lose it again,” he said.

President Museveni expressed his delight at the restoration of peace in Kenya warned that political leaders should not go into a lull and allow the thorns of violence and political unrest “to prick the country’s tender skin again”.

“It is good that you have found a cure to the disease that had infected you. The duty you have ahead is to keep the prescription safe and apply it as the doctor has instructed. Such diseases are never cured completely,” he said.

The leaders spoke after the swearing in of Mr Odinga as the PM, his two Deputy Prime Ministers, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Musalia Mudavadi.

Only 23 Cabinet ministers and 52 assistant ministers were sworn in during the ceremony that took two hours and ended at 12:53 pm. Of the ministers, only five women were sworn in since Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua and Special Programmes minister Naomi Shaaban were sworn in in January.

The others had been sworn-in in January but they attended Thursday’s ceremony. However, Medical Services minister Anyang Nyong’o will be sworn in at a later date since he was out of the country. Two of the ministers who had been named in January were demoted in the new line-up that President Kibaki named on Sunday. They were Mr Asman Kamama and Dr Wilfred Machage.

Mr Odinga was the first to take the oath of office at 10:49 am. The oath was administered by Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Francis Muthaura. The oath involved swearing allegiance to the Republic of Kenya and its Constitution and bound the office holder to discharge his duties under the President and pledging never to reveal Cabinet secrets.

Next in line was Mr Kenyatta and Mr Mudavadi who took similar oaths before the other ministers were sworn in.

Mr Kamama and Dr Machage were sworn in as assistant ministers for Higher Education and Roads respectively.

President Kibaki urged his new Cabinet to move with speed to resettle the more than 600,000 Kenyans who were displaced from their homes during the two months of post-election violence.

“It is unacceptable that a Kenyan should be prevented from accessing his or her property by another,” the President said.

The new ministers were also given the responsibility of reconciling Kenyans and bring to an end the cycle of violence that had rocked the country in January and February. They were also urged to work towards a new Constitution and reverse the declining economic growth rate which had triggered an increase in food prices and transport costs.

The President also stated that the Cabinet must be united and should craft policies that will liberate half of Kenya’s population from poverty in five years.

“If we achieve this goal, the grand coalition will have served its true purpose, which is to unite all of Kenya’s leaders in a joint and effective war against poverty, ignorance and disease while also creating a just and democratic society.
US envoy Michael Ranneberger and his German counterpart, Mr Walter Lindner, praised the new Cabinet and urged the members to coalesce into a united team to address the needs of Kenyans.

“This was very positive for Kenyans and the agenda that has been laid out is very challenging. The signs are good and the United States will be present to give its assistance,” said Mr Ranneberger.

Performance

Mr Lindner, who described coalitions as exceptional said the Cabinet should be judged by its performance and not its size.

“Members of the Cabinet should start work immediately. We will look at the product and not the size of the Cabinet and Germany will offer assistance whenever it is required,” Mr Lindner said.

Present during the occasion were Tanzania Prime Minister Peter Pinda Mizengo, his Rwandese counterpart, Mr Bernard Makuza, Burundi’s First Vice President Yves Sahinguvu, former Malawi president Bakili Muluzi, former President Daniel arap Moi, National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende, former Vice President Moody Awori and a host of diplomats.

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=121395

STATEMENT BY HON. RAILA ODINGA, PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE, ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS ON FORMING THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT


7 April 08

With cries of jubilation and Happy New Years, Kenyans on 28th February began to breathe freely again as the National Accord brokered by Mr. Kofi Annan was signed by President Kibaki and myself. The terror and fear they had been living under at the hands of mobs, militias and government forces was finally over.

A few weeks later, Parliament unanimously entrenched the Accord into the Constitution and Laws of Kenya.

But since then, Kenyans have observed with growing dismay and anxiety that not a single concrete agreement has been achieved on any aspect of the new coalition government. Our nation is adrift and without direction, and with each passing day, our problems are mounting.

To overcome this terrible impasse and another looming crisis, our side has gone many extra miles and made an extraordinary number of concessions. Against the strong wishes of our supporters and indeed of all Kenyans, we accepted PNU’s insistence on a bloated 40 member Cabinet.

I agreed also to cede some of the most crucial ministries – such as Finance, Defense, Internal Security and Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

-+In exchange, we obtained infrastructural ministries such as Energy, Transport and Roads - which are instrumental in the building of rapid economic growth - as well as Local Government and Foreign Affairs. But in agreeing to this, I indicated that we had reached our irreducible minimum. The response to our magnanimity from the other side has been to retract every agreement we have finalized!

This latest crisis in portfolio balance captures the astonishing lengths PNU is willing to go to ensure that it continues to monopolize power.

On 1st April, President Kibaki’s emissary, Hon George Saitoti, gave me a proposed list of 40 ministries and how they should be divided. The next day, we wrote to the President’s Office rejecting the proposal.

The following day, 3rd April, President Kibaki and I met for two hours and made numerous concrete agreements on portfolio balance that I have just mentioned, which enabled both of us to say publicly that the Cabinet would be announced yesterday (Sunday).

On Saturday, I received from Ambassador Muthaura a letter unilaterally indicating that the Cabinet to be announced would be formed on the basis of an enclosed list of ministries and their allocations that we had rejected on 2nd April! The agreements we reached in our 3rd April meeting were nowhere to be seen.

We were therefore unable to reach any agreement in the six hours of talks yesterday.
Today, in response to a letter I had written to President Kibaki, we received a reply from Ambassador Muthaura side reneging on our previous agreements, as well as the spirit and the letter of the Accord. In PNU’s interpretation, the Constitution grants the President exclusive executive power to run this country on his own, and that these powers supersede all the provisions of the Accord.

The President and I promised the nation yesterday that we would finalize arrangements for the Grand Coalition government, including the naming of the Cabinet.

However, PNU’s misconception of the Accord and the principles of democratic governance mean that there was no point in meeting today to conclude discussions on Cabinet formation and the constitution of the government.

We hereby provide correspondence between our two sides which gives details of the issues at stake and our proposals on the way forward. Let me state once again that we are committed to the full and speedy implementation of the National Accord to resolve the crisis gripping our country.

http://kumekucha.blogspot.com/

Cabinet Crisis Drama In Writing


Here is a glimpse of the cabinet crisis drama in writing.....

7th April 2008

His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, CGH, MP

President of the Republic of Kenya

Office of the President,

P.O. Box 30510,

NAIROBI

Your Excellency,

RE: FORMATION OF THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT

The meeting yesterday adjourned to allow for consultations until this afternoon, after you declined further discussions on portfolio balance and instead insisted on your proposed allocation of ministries.

Our party is deeply concerned that the stalemate over the formation of the Grand Coalition Government is increasing uncertainty and anxiety in the country. It is also escalating the mistrust that we as leaders were expected to eliminate by the establishment of the Grand Coalition.

The National Accord and Reconciliation Act is already in force. It must be understood that ODM and PNU are equal partners in the Grand Coalition. The failure to form the Grand Coalition Government is in fact a continuing breach of the Act and the Constitution.

We have always acted in good faith and conveyed to Your Excellency that the Grand Coalition would be one government. The positions PNU is staking claim to imply that we are forming a government with two cabinets. On the contrary, this is a Grand Coalition of two equal partners sharing executive power on a 50-50 basis.

It is becoming clear to our party that your side is reluctant to honour the spirit and principles of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act. I therefore wish to let you know that the following issues must be resolved in the course of our further consultations on the formation of the Government:

1. The Current Cabinet

The current cabinet should be dissolved to allow for the formation of a fresh Cabinet in accordance with the Act.

2. Portfolio Balance

Although we reluctantly conceded to an enlarged cabinet against the wishes of Kenyans, our party now maintains that the Grand Coalition Cabinet should not exceed 34 ministries. Allocations of portfolios must be based on the agreement of 3rd April 2008 in which we agreed that the PNU side nominates appointments in the Finance and Security portfolios and in return, ODM would nominate Ministers to the following portfolios:

· Local Government

· Foreign Affairs

· Transport

· Energy

· Cabinet Affairs

It is important I reiterate that the above represents and remains our Party’s irreducible minimum position. We attach hereto, for your ease of reference, the full ODM Portfolio Balance List, which was delivered to you last Friday.

3. Structure and Organization of Government

The following must also be agreed upon in advance:

· An acceptable classification of ministries;

· A clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Prime Minister;

· The structure and organization of government, including the rationalisation of the roles of the Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet;

· Appointment of the Permanent Secretaries;

· Appointment of Ambassadors and High Commissioners; and the

· Appointment of the Chairpersons, Directors and Chief Executives of parastatals, and constitutional offices.

I propose that a Joint Team of four members, two from each side, be constituted to build consensus on these issues within the next three days.

Please confirm your acceptance of the above before the meeting this afternoon.

Yours truly,

Hon Raila Odinga, EGH, MP

Prime Minister-Designate

Encl.

http://kumekucha.blogspot.com/

American rider on a mission to market Kenya

American motorcyclist Jerry Finley, who is on a tour of 13 African countries. He is helping market Kenya as a tourist destination.

Photo/DANIEL NYASSY

Story by DANIEL NYASSY
Publication Date: 2008/04/01

An American motorcyclist is on an ambitious mission to help redeem the reputation of Kenya as a tourist destination.

Mr Jerry Finley was in the country recently after the post-election violence that brought the tourism industry to its knees.

He is on a tour of 13 countries and says that he defied concerted negative publicity about Kenya during the post-election period to visit the country and see for himself what was happening.


American motorcyclist Jerry Finley, who is on a tour of 13 African countries. He is helping market Kenya as a tourist destination. Photo/DANIEL NYASSY

“When I arrived in Kenya, I was surprised at the inaccuracy of the situation as potrayed by the international media.”

Mr Finley said he realised that Kenya is not only a beautiful country, endowed with numerous tourist attractions, but also has very hospitable people.

Peaceful and safe
“I want to reassure people who plan to visit Kenya, that the country is peaceful and safe to visit, contrary to reports they read about or watch on international television channels,” he said.

Mr Finley says negative stories about Kenya, in the US media, had prompted him to include the country in his 13 African countries cycling tour, “in order to get the true picture and first-hand feel”.

The US media, he pointed out, reported negatively about Kenya, even after the peace deal was signed between the Party of National Unity and the Orange Democratic Movement.

Mr Finley says he will carry the message with him through the Horn of Africa, north, central and southern African states of Egypt, Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and South Africa, among others.

Relaxing at the Hemingway Beach resort in Watamu, when the Nation team bumped into him, Mr Finley said: “The US media portrayed and painted a very bad image of Kenya. It reported that Nairobi was a no-go spot. I got very curious and decided to come and see for myself.”

Many of his friends in the US also discouraged him from visiting Kenya, saying he was taking a risk of a lifetime. But he said he was determined to travel.

“Many friends told me Kenya was having one of its worst tribal revolutions and that there was a big war here. They told me strongly, don’t go there,” he says.

Mr Finley was surprised by the calm and tranquillity that he found when he stepped into the city. He said he camped somewhere near the city for a few days “in order to observe the fire in the city”.

He said what he saw disapproved the home media reports.
“I walked freely in Nairobi, even in some slum areas. Absolutely no problem, no incident,” says Mr Finley, who comes from California and is a well travelled person.

Enjoyed everything
The only “ugly” incident was when his motorbike, a huge 104 KTM-950 100 horse power adventure bike made in Austria, was hit by a land cruiser in the city.

He says it was quickly “fixed at a jua kali garage” and he continued with his journey.

“I love nature and I immensely enjoyed everything in Kenya, the donkeys, goats and cows on the roadside, the potholes on the roads, the cheerful people, the culture and the wild game. Everything is fascinating.

I think Kenya is a great country and not a trouble country as always portrayed in our media,” he said.

Mr Finley, who was in the company of other motorcycle riders from Holland and other countries, says he will definitely come back to Kenya.

“It is my honour to market the country to tourists from America and other countries after what I have experienced,” he says.

His advice to the Ministry of Tourism: “I think the country should try motorcycle tourism, which I think can do great. There are hundreds of professional motor riders in the US, Europe and elsewhere, who would love to come and do their jinx in the African jungle.”

Mr Finley, who is a member of a riders club back home, began his tour in the Horn of Africa and hopes to end it in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He has travelled widely across all the continents and describes his experience in Kenya as “one of the most captivating”.

“From the mountainous sites and valleys in the highlands and the Rift Valley, to the bare savanna grassland, to the dry and stony countryside, to the magnificent blue beaches, it’s all marvellous,” he says.

He says he enjoyed the local food and the short lived company of local people, particularly the rural people.

“Go east, go west, go north, go south, Kenya is the best.”
He wishes to be back soon, not on a motorbike, but in one of the planes bringing in tourists from the US.

Elsewhere, marketing Kenya as an international and domestic front has started paying off. A good number of Kenyans took time to savour the plenty found within their borders over Easter holidays.

The domestic tourism front, that had for a long time received little marketing, recorded an upsurge, as Kenyans poured in to the national parks and game reserves to spend their time.

Hotels and restaurants, that received a beating in revenue during the post-election violence experienced increased bookings.

Data on domestic tourism has remained negligible all year round in the past. This has left most tour operators and hospitality players to peg their focus abroad.

Late last year, the Ministry of Tourism unveiled the Domestic Tourism Council to spearhead the campaign. Part of its strategies was to work ways of impacting directly on the numbers of domestic tourism.

Although the post-election violence put on hold some of its planned activities, the council was incorporated into the National Tourism Crisis Management team.

The committee launched a website, Tembea Kenya, and a logo dedicated at promoting domestic tourism.

Additional reports by Joseph Bonyo

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=39&newsid=120254

Island of peace at the heart of desolate region

Turkana dancers in Loiyangalani. They do not just dance to entertain but also to preserve their culture. Photo/GEORGE OMONDI

Story by GEORGE OMONDI
Publication Date: 2008/04/01

To many Kenyans, the North Rift is synonymous with insecurity, thanks to the region’s perception as the land of cattle rustlers and bandits.


However, for tourists who enjoy navigating through the harsh terrain of northern tourist circuit, Loiyangalani Centre is a worthy resting stop.

The centre, which is near the shores of Lake Turkana, is like a shimmering mirage that adds colour to the vast arid and semi-arid region. But one has to get there to believe that the water is real, not a mirage.

To those familiar with the lifestyles of pastoralist communities, Loiyangalani is a haven of peace and a place of plenty in the middle of a land known for its desert-like conditions.

And although many communities in the North Rift are traditional enemies, at Loiyangalani, they live and share out their resources in harmony.


Welcome relief

Arrival at the centre, after spending days in the wilderness gives a life-after-death feeling. For tourists, the inviting blue-green waters of Lake Turkana which signals the arrival at the centre are a sight to behold in Loiyangalani.

The cool breeze that blows from the lake provides a welcome relief to visitors, after days of journeying through the hot and dry land.

Visitors who begin their journey by road from Nairobi via Isiolo, Samburu, Marsabit and North Horr to Sibiloi National Park, just a few kilometres from the country’s border with Ethiopia, are likely to arrive at Loiyangalani on the fifth day, if they choose to return to Nairobi via the South Horr–Baragoi-Maralal-Nyahururu road.

A stop-over at Loiyangalani, can leave the visitor feeling that one is no longer at the heart of the harsh arid region. After days of endless sand, one arrives at the centre only to be surrounded by water – not only from the lake but also from the hot springs that form the beautiful fountains that are a leading attraction at the centre.

Residents fondly refer to the centre as “a refreshing and a delightful oasis of quietness and friendship”. Like in most parts of northern Kenya, the communities living at the centre have preserved their culture.

Cattle rustling
Most pastoralist communities in the north are embroiled in cattle rustling and other wars over grazing land and water, which is scarce in the area. Each community believes that its members are victims of hostile neighbours, whom they depict as aggressors who cannot be trusted.

Besides cattle, the area residents have large numbers of camels and goats – the only other livestock that can withstand the harsh conditions.

But to the people of the region, these are not just animals. They signify one’s economic status. The more you have the richer you are — even if you acquired them after a battle with a neighbouring community.

At Loiyangalani centre, members of the Samburu, Turkana, El Molo and Rendile communities live side by side in harmony. They draw strength from their diversity and transact daily business in impressive Kiswahili — the preferred language at the centre.

Every morning, men and women at the centre begin their days early in the morning and continue working throughout the day.

Women mostly gather in groups and weave items for sale while some stay home to build houses. Men herd livestock as others collect and sell precious stones. The El Molo men mostly spend their time fishing.

Although each community maintains its culture, the work of NGOs in bringing them together, is largely noticeable in Loiyangalani.

Every youth or women’s project consists of members from different communities.
The groups usually sell members’ products, but they are also involved in environmental conservation efforts and tapping the tourism sector.

Mosaretu (short for El Molo, Samburu, Rendile and Turkana) women’s group is doing brisk business providing lodging and camping facilities to tourists who visit the region.

The accommodation is provided as a cluster of Turkana houses built under the shade of palm trees where temperatures are cooler during the day.

Mosaretu members, comprising about 50 women from the four different communities, usually perform ceremonial dances to entertain tourists and also organise cultural visits to various villages.

At the lodge, bath water is drawn directly from the hot springs. It is usually hot throughout the day and night, having been heated naturally.

At Loiyangalani centre, Turkana villagers gather outside their manyattas every evening to perform traditional dances until late into the night.
The performances are a sight to behold. Edong’a, Ekwale and Etung’ are some of the dances that a visitor is likely to enjoy the most.

“Our evening dances do not target visitors but they are part of our age-old cultural practices that we have to adhere to – with or without visitors,” said an elder, who only identified himself as Ekwe.

He explained that after every day’s work, villagers come together to share and celebrate their experiences through songs and dances.

Express love

Through the songs, young unmarried men express their love to young eligible girls — in the presence of the community members who include their parents.

Men who may have had heroic encounters at the grazing fields during the day also use the songs to narrate their escapades to the approval of ululating women.

Having wandered through the vast arid and semi arid north, the carnival mood that sets in every evening, as villagers prepare for the dances is a welcome relief, after the hard life that the pastoralist communities have to face each day.

But if tourism is to be improved in the region, the entire 235-km road towards Maralal needs to be rehabilitated as it is bumpy and mostly bordered by deep gullies.

One would be forgiven for thinking that he was on the surface of the moon. The section between Baragoi to Maralal is largely impassable during rainy seasons and hardly has any functioning bridges.

Fishermen at Lake Turkana said the poor state of roads hinders them from delivering their fresh catch to their customers in other towns.

“Few vehicles use the road to Maralal and this has forced us to preserve and sell our fish in dried forms only,” a fisherman at the shores of Lake Turkana told the Daily Nation.

The residents want the Government to build good roads to open up the region for tourism and promote the fishing industry.

Water is also a major problem in the region. Just a few kilometres from Lake Turkana, thirsty villagers, plastic bottles and gourds in hand, usually run towards any vehicle approaching from Loiyangalani to beg for water from passengers.

The farther one moves southward from Loiyangalani, the more the inter-community conflict between pastoralists intensifies, largely due to lack of water and pasture for the large number of livestock.

Guns in the wrong hands — something that is unheard of at Loiyangalani — are the order of the day in the dry parts where livestock is the only source of livelihood.
The guns are also a constant threat to private ranches and wild animals’ sanctuaries that dot the section between Baragoi, Maralal, Laikipia and Nyahururu.

Loiyangalani, a haven for harmony and peaceful coexistence, provides a case study for ending the incessant inter-community wars of the North Rift where lack of water, grazing ground and poor incomes have seen communities fighting for ages.

But the magic that works at Loiyangalani — especially the abundance of water — must be replicated in the other areas for peace to reign.

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=39&newsid=120256

Sh31m airstrip set to uplift growth of tourism in region

Story by MICHAEL NJUGUNA
Publication Date: 3/27/2008

Light clouds scudded across the sky as Kenya Wildlife Service chief pilot Anthony Kiroken guided his 14-seater plane to a perfect landing at Lake Nakuru National Park’s new tarmac airstrip at exactly 9.50am.


The newly built 1.2 kilometre airstrip at the Lake Nakuru National Park which is expected to boost tourism in the Central and Southern Rift Valley. The airstrip cost Sh31 million and is 28 metres wide. Photo/ JOSEPH KIHERI

Among pilot Kiroken’s passengers were the KWS chief executive officer Julius Kipng’etich and several senior officials of the organisation.

On the ground to receive them were the KWS regional assistant director, Mrs Anne Kahihia, mayor David Gikaria and several councillors, the manager of Barclays Bank, Nakuru branch, Mr Daniel Muya, representatives of the hotel industry and civil aviation, among others.

There were also representatives of the provincial administration, manufacturing companies and the Kenya Army, Lanet.

Engineers and other officials of Adequate Machinery Construction Company which built the 1.2-kilometre long airstrip, at a cost of Sh31 million, were also at hand for the handing over ceremony.

The commissioning of the new Class ‘B’ airstrip was aptly described during speeches made later by leaders as a umbilical cord that will marshal the economic recovery in central Rift Valley and beyond.

Lake Nakuru National Park and other tourist destinations in the area were beset by the post-election violence, which saw the number of tourists drop by about 88 per cent in February.

But Mr Kipng’etich extolled the benefit of all the stakeholders pooling their producer resources to enable the country overcome the past misfortunes, get back on the track and focus on Vision 2030.

Mr Kipng’etich said that KWS was in the process of repositioning Kenya as a premium tourist destination by upgrading infrastructure in all the parks.

Protected parks

He said the new all-weather airstrip, the best in central and southern Rift Valley, would turn the area into an investment hub and open up the picturesque sceneries and rustic resorts that spread all the way from Hell’s Gate in Naivasha, Lake Bogoria, Menengai Crater and the Maasai Mara.

Tourists will now be able to fly to Nakuru from Mombasa, the Maasai Mara and most of the other protected parks in the country, where the KWS is upgrading airstrips. Among the parks, where the KWS is to upgrade airstrips is Ruma in Suba, Mt Elgon, Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Meru National Park and Mweiga.

The KWS is also to provide an aircraft to each of its eight regions and allocate more sites for new lodges in the protected parks.

Lake Nakuru National Park has two lodges – the Lake Nakuru Lodge and Sarova Lion Hill. Tariffs will also be reviewed to ensure that the country reaps maximum benefit from its rich wildlife. He cited the case of Rwanda where tourists pay $500 to watch gorillas for an hour.

In Kenya, Mr Kipng’etich said, tourists pay only $40 to watch the big five and other animals and birds for 24 hours.

He said that while the KWS was determined to make Kenya one of the best tourist destinations, the other stakeholders, including local authorities such as Nakuru municipality, must wake up from complacency and play their part in the burgeoning national and international tourism arena.

Economic driver

Mr Kipng’etich said that sectors such as agriculture had reached a plateau and tourism had taken over as the key economic driver.
‘‘You must see each planeload of tourists landing here as a source of employment and market for agricultural produce. The hotels will need eggs, vegetables and other foodstuff. This airstrip is a national resource and you must make the best out of it,’’ Mr Kipng’etich told his listeners, who included farmers from the neighbouring Naishi farms.

Mr Kipng’etich said the new airstrip would play a key role in increasing visits to Lake Nakuru National Park and consequently raise revenue for KWS, lodges in the park and hotels in Nakuru Town.

He said the aviation industry would be an increasingly important means of transport for tourists, especially in areas where the road network was poor.

An engineer told the Nation that the 1.2km long, 18m wide airstrip was suitable for domestic use, ‘‘but even a jumbo can land here in case of an emergency’’.

Naishi section of the park, where the airstrip was built, has the offices of the Rhino Sanctuary protection base managed by KWS. It was here that the first rhinos from Solio Ranch in Laikipia were held in an enclosure and fed for several days before being released into the wild.

Another 10 white rhinos from South Africa were received at the same place in 1994, leading to the growth of the current breeding herd estimated at over 100 animals.
The new airstrip will certainly be a boon to tourist facilities that have not attracted large numbers of visitors.

Such facilities include the Lord Egerton Castle in Njoro, the Hyrax pre-historic site on the western side of the town and the 90 square kilometres Menengai Crater to the north.

Tourist to the Nakuru sites will also be able to visit the famous Thomson’s Falls in Nyahururu Town, which is about 60km from the Rift Valley provincial capital. Mountain climbers can enjoy a thrilling time at Hell’s Gate National Park. This is one of the few protected parks in the country where visitors are allowed to walk along nature trails or use bicycles.

Several species

While at Hell’s Gate, tourists will have the opportunity of visiting the Joy Adamson’s Centre and later take a boat ride on Lake Naivasha.
The almost hidden crater lake, which has also been attracting small numbers of tourists, is likely to record higher numbers of visitors.

Currently, visitors travelling between Nairobi and Nakuru by road have the opportunity to enjoy the scenic Rift Valley and the various species of birds at Lake Elmentaita.

Ornithologists have recorded as many as 40,000 flamingoes at Lake Elmentaita, which also has a pelican breeding island near part of the lake bordering Lord Delamere’s Soysambu ranch.

Residents of Maji Tamu have also been trying to establish a conservancy around Lake Solai, tucked away below the hills, about 30km from Nakuru Town.
Lake Solai has several hundred species of birds, including the Egyptian geese, weaver birds and the African Jacana.

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=39&newsid=119872

Exceptional gathering at Shoe4Africa Peace Run

Never at a Kenyan race has there been such a galaxy of International stars from past, present & future.

It was a day of joyous celebration on Saturday in Iten, Kenya at the Shoe4Africa Peace run. Over 560 school girls came out to run a 4km peace run powered by Leppin.

The story of the day was the amazing turnout of Kenya’s international stars who, led by Douglas Wakiihuri and Luke Kibet, World champions in the marathon, walked through Iten town on an athlete’s parade of peace with all the children singing and dancing behind, walking behind shouting Amani Kenya (Peace in Kenya) Shoe4Africa Run for Peace.

All were dressed in yellow T-shirts. There was hugging, crying and dancing not only from the children, but also from the athletes, many of which had not seen each other in decades.

Priscah Jepteling was the winner of the girls’ race, flagged off by Nyandika Maiyoro and Wilson Kiprugut, the first Kenyan to run in the Olympics and the first Kenyan to win an Olympic medal.

Chris Cheboiboch & Timothy Cherigat, a Boston runner-up and a Boston winner, were rabbits to lead the girls on pace. Holding the finishers tape were the flag bearers Wakiihuri, a Kikuyu, and Kibet from the Kalenjin.

As the runners passed the finish line, all the stars handed a pair of running shoes to all of the runners, exercise books and pencils too.

At the awards ceremony Amos Biwott, the man who won the first steeplechase Olympic Gold handed out a new windows vista laptop computer to Kiptingo Primary school, money for books went to the second prize school, awarded by Moses Kiptanui, and Moses Tanui gave out a similar prize for Kamariny Primary.

Another legend of the sport, Olympic steeplechase champion Matthew Birir was on hand to give out the sports watches to the top three individual finishers.

All the international athletes introduced themselves, the crowds sang, and the day ended on a fitting note as Douglas Wakiihuri was embraced by the crowds as he came up and taught the school children a song he had written in the local Kalenjin tongue.

The area MP Mr. Cheptwony, and the acting District Commissioner, were also in attendance.

Toby Tanser for the IAAF

Athletes in attendance:

Daniel Komen World Champion 1997
Matthew Birir Olympic Steeplechase Champion 1992
Moses Tanui World Champion 10,000 & Half Marathon
Moses Kiptanui Three time world champion steeplechase Olympic silver
Kimutai Kosgei Amsterdam Marathon champion, Boston runners up
Timothy Cherigat Boston Marathon Champion 2004
Luke Kibet World Marathon Champion 2007
Lornah Kiplagat World champion cross country, double world champion road
Chris Cheboiboch Fastest ever runner up at the New York Marathon
William Koila former world best junior 1500m record
John Yuda World half and world cross country silver medallist
Mike Boit Olympic Bronze 1972, Commonwealth Games Gold 1982
Paul Koech World Half Marathon Champion 1999
Ben Maiyo Second place Boston Marathon
Janeth “Eldoret Express” Jepkosgei World 800m champion 2007
Ezekiel Kemboi Olympic Steeplechase Champion 2004
Japheth Kimutai Commonwealth Games Champion 800m 1998
Douglas Wakiihuri World Marathon Champion 1987, Olympic Silver 1988
Nyandika Maiyoro First Ever Kenyan to run in the Olympics
Wilson Kiprugut First Olympic medalist for Kenya bronze 1964 800 (and 1968 Silver)
John Litei Commonwealth Games bronze 2006 800m
Fred Kiprop, 2:06 Amsterdam Marathon
Katui Kipkemboi, Asian Games Silver 5000
Duncan Cheruiyot ParaOlmpics two gold 22004
Sylvia Kibet African Games & African Championships bronze medallist
James Kosgei Road Racer of the year four times
Luke Kipkosgei Internationalist
Rebbie Koech Internationalist
Peter Tanui Internationalist
Christopher Koskei World Champion 1999 Steeplechase
Paul Cherop Internationalist 1970’s
Sammy Maritim Internationalist 10,000 1970’s
Ben Kogo Olympic Games Silver 1968
Fatwell Kimaiyo Kenyan record holder 110m hurdles
Rose Tata First Kenyan lady to run in the World Championships
Kefah Kerero 2:13 marathon
Jonah Birir 5th Olympic 1500
David Kiptoo 1:43 800m Internationalist
Yobes Ondieki World record 10,000 1993
Hosea Rotich Fastest ever marathon on Kenyan soil
Joyce Chepchumba Olympic Bronze Marathon 2000
Amos Biwott Olympic Gold Steeplechase 1968

[http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=44080.html]

The struggle for education: Selina's story


Women often walk long distances, up to six miles in each direction, in search of water in the arid Pokot environment. Photo: Stephen Speakman/CWS
March 23, 2007


By Stephen Speakman, CWS Eastern Africa


Selina is a twenty-year-old woman living in West Pokot, Kenya. She also is one of three females in her community who completed high school this year. For Selina, graduating from high school is a major accomplishment. Not only has she successfully completed her academic work, but her journey has included overcoming a cultural attitude in West Pokot that does not value education for women.

When Selina was in upper primary school (equivalent to middle school in the U.S. system), her father wanted to marry her to an older man. Many men in the West Pokot community think of their daughters as a source of income for their household. When a man comes to the home intending to marry the girl, he will bring the father thirty or forty cows in exchange.

Despite her father’s intentions to give her away in marriage, Selina was resolute in her desire to receive an education. She, along with two other girls, decided that they did not want to be like other girls in their community who were married at an early age and who were not valued by the society. Instead, the girls committed themselves to completing high school.

"We told ourselves," says Selina, "'If we stay in the same condition as our mothers, what can we do for this community? It is better for us to finish Form 4 [the final year of high school] and help our community – help the community to be seen as one of people looking forward.'"

When asked how she managed to convince her father not to give her away in marriage, Selina recounts how she told her father that, no matter what he did to her, she would not marry.

"I told my father that there is time for everything. If you want those cows [that the man is offering for a dowry], I can bring you more than the number you want from this person [after I receive my education]. I told him that this person [whom he intends me to marry] will limit my life. If he is not educated, what benefit is there for me to be married to him?"

Realizing Selina's determination to receive an education, her father relented and sold a cow to allow Selina to attend at least her first year of high school.
Even after this first victory, Selina's journey to graduation was not easy. For many people living in Kenya, the prospect of receiving an education beyond Standard 8 (8th grade) is grim due to the cost of school fees. Although the government made reforms in 2002 that initiated free primary education for all Kenyans, secondary school fees remain an expense that many Kenyans, especially those people living in rural areas such as West Pokot, cannot easily afford.

Despite this difficulty, and despite her father's limited support, Selina would not be deterred. "Other girls, they hear what their parents say—that their home doesn’t have enough cows to allow their children to be educated," Selina notes. "But we [in our group] didn't see that as a problem that would hinder us from reaching Form 4. We said, 'If this is the problem that will hinder us from being educated, we can look for other ways to assist in our education.'"

For Selina, that assistance came through the financial support of other members of the community. To help Selina meet her school fees, her church conducted a fundraiser to create a base of financial support. She also received a government grant designed to assist capable students in needy communities. Selina is grateful for the way in which people in the community responded to her desire to receive an education. "For me who has received education, I have not been limited," she said. "The community gave to me; now I will give back."

If her test results are good, Selina plans to attend college so that she can do just that—give back to her community. She did not hesitate when asked her dreams for the future—she wants to become either a teacher or a nurse. Whatever she becomes, she intends to return to her community to show them the power of education to improve their lives.

"We always told people in the community that, if God wills, you will see what we can bring to you as educated people," she says. "If I qualify as a teacher, I will come to this place and teach. I will talk about the problems that I passed to get this education, and I will tell girls the benefit of education. If I become a nurse, I will combat malaria. I will tell my people how to prevent it. Most of the people here don't know, but me, a girl who is from this place, will come and teach them, tell them in my own language."

Selina has a younger sister who is in Standard 6 (6th grade). Selina says that she is ready to fight for her sister’s education. "I told my sister, 'If our father told you anything that would lead you to forget about your education, listen to me instead.'" And what is her message?

"Education is very important. Without education, there is no life."
In West Pokot, Kenya, CWS partner Yang'at has completed phase one of a project designed to provide assistance to the women and children, like Selina, who often are marginalized. Since women and children spend much of their time during the day fetching water in the arid Pokot environment, Yang'at's project is designed to use the vital issue of water access as an entry point for still further development.
Through the construction of sand dams, Yang'at has reduced the amount of time and the amount of effort women and children must use in fetching water for their households. With the "extra time" during the day, children are able to attend school and women, with skills training from Yang'at, are able to begin smallscale income generating activities.

Yang'at also is actively involved in challenging the local perceptions that hinder women's development. Through sensitization meetings and workshops, Yang’at highlights how traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and early marriage hinder a girl's ability to reach her full potential.

For more information about Yang'at and the work they are carrying out in West Pokot, please read "Kenya: Pokot women challenge local perceptions"

http://churchworldservice.org/news/archives/2007/03/653.html

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net

Kenya: Pokot women challenge local perceptions

By Stephen Speakman, CWS Eastern Africa

The word Yang'at means "to care" in the local language of the Pokot. For the women and men working with the Yang'at Girl Child Potential Sensitization Group, in Kenya, this mission "to care" is a deeply personal passion.


In 1999, four Pokot women founded Yang'at as an organization dedicated to improve access to education for girls in their home area of West Pokot. All four women had completed their university education, and they understood the importance of education in their lives. Yet, they also understood that in West Pokot most women are not afforded the opportunity to attend school due to a cultural attitude that does not value female education.

In traditional Pokot culture, young girls around the age of twelve are married off to older men after having gone through a female circumcision rite that enters them into "adulthood." Because of this practice of early marriage, and because the cultural attitude that does not value education for women, these girls are unable to continue their schooling. Instead, they are forced to drop out of school to begin their work serving the household. This situation has resulted in high levels of illiteracy among women and a complete lack of access to means of improving their economic status.

Seeing the state of women in West Pokot and knowing the power of education to have a positive impact on a person's life, CWS partner Yang'at decided that something needed to be done within these communities to effect a change. "We started this organization to care about the girl child and women, because they are the most marginalized ones in the district," says Deborah Katina, Yang'at coordinator.


During the dry season, women dig into the sand to fetch the water that the subsurface dam has stored. Photo: Stephen Speakman/CWS

Katina describes the role of women in West Pokot as being like that of donkeys—doing the heavy manual labor such as fetching water from long distances, upwards of ten kilometers in one direction. "Women walk long distances, so they don’t have time for other economic activities," she says. One Pokot woman, Rael Lokoryese, tells of leaving her home at three o'clock in the morning to fetch water. She would leave at three, she says, because the water point was far away. It would take her five hours to walk the twenty kilometers (around twelve miles) necessary to bring water back to her home, and she needed to return to the house with water by eight o'clock so that she could begin to fix porridge for her family's breakfast.

In addition to shouldering the burden of physical labor, women and girls are marginalized in other ways such as by the cultural attitude of men which sees girls only as a source of wealth for the family.

"When a girl is around twelve years old," says Katina, "she goes through female genital mutilation, after which she will be married off immediately. The father will get a dowry after he marries out the girl at twelve years old. He can get thirty or forty cows, so he looks at the girl as a source of wealth."

Water projects have been one way that Yang'at has looked to change these detrimental mindsets and behaviors that lead to women being marginalized within Pokot communities. With funding from Church World Service, Yang'at constructed six sub-surface dams (sand dams) in various locations in West Pokot in 2005 and 2006.

When these dams fill with sand during the flow of water during the rainy season, the sand holds water that otherwise would simply run off or evaporate due to the scorching Pokot sun. With these dams in place, women are able to come to the river bed, scoop into the sand, and find water rather than walking for hours in search of the life-sustaining resource.

In times of severe water shortage, a pipe at the bottom of the dam bed can be opened, allowing community members access to the water stored in the bottom of the dam. As community ownership is a critical issue for all CWS projects, the local people contributed labor and stones for the projects. With project completion, the management of the dams has been turned over to local people who Yang'at trained to handle the project maintenance.

With water close to communities, women and girls who once spent large portions of their day in search of water have time to invest in other ventures such as businesses or attending school. To help women capitalize on this opportunity, Yang'at trains women in small scale income generating activities such as beekeeping and bead-making. The money that the women make is one way to demonstrate to the communities that a woman’s worth is not only in dowry payments or as manual labor. According to Katina, when community members see Pokot women bringing improvements to their communities, they see that girls are important and can do something productive in their society.

When communities see that the project has eased the burden of fetching water and has improved household income, they become more willing to listen to Yang'at's message that women have a valuable role to play in the community. Through sensitization meetings, Yang’at works to encourage communities to change these longstanding cultural mindsets. Yang'at's work shows that Pokot woman can become educated and use their knowledge to benefit the entire community.

The Yang'at staff members, volunteering their time and energy to the people of West Pokot, are living examples of what Pokot women can accomplish when given the opportunity to succeed.

"The members of Yang'at, all of us are from this area—from Pokot," comments Katina. "All of us have gotten our education, and when we are doing this work, we are acting as role models. We are working so that communities can see that women can produce something for their community."

For a more detailed look into the challenges facing one Pokot girl to receive an education, please read "The struggle for education: Selina's story."

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net jdragin@gis.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

[http://www.churchworldservices.org/news/archives/2007/03/652.html]

STATE 'SANCTIONED' KENYAN CLASHES


Some 1,500 people died in unrest after disputed poll results
The BBC has learnt of allegations of state-sanctioned violence in Kenya during the turmoil that followed last December's disputed presidential poll.

Sources allege that meetings were hosted at the official residence of the president between the banned Mungiki militia and senior government figures.
The aim was to hire them as a defence force in the Rift Valley to protect the president's Kikuyu community.

The government denied the allegations, calling them "preposterous".
"No such meetings took place at State House or any government office," the government said in a statement posted on its website.

Such "unfounded lies" are "injurious to the president, government and the people of Kenya", the statement said.


The allegations come as parliament is due to open on Thursday preparing the way for a new coalition government.

Although parliament's focus will be on healing ethnic divisions and creating a coalition government - allegations of state involvement with a banned Kikuyu militia, known as Mungiki, will not go ignored, the BBC's Karen Allen in Nairobi says.
She says there is growing suspicion that some of the violence that led to 1,500 people being killed and hundreds of thousands displaced was orchestrated by both sides of the political divide.

Gangs with machetes

The BBC source, who is a member of the Kikuyu tribe and who is now in hiding after receiving death threats, alleged: "Three members of the gang met at State House... and after the elections and the violence the militias were called again and they were given a duty to defend the Kikuyu in Rift Valley and we know they were there in numbers."

Non-Kikuyu homes in Naivasha were ransacked and set alight
On the weekend of 25 January, the Rift Valley towns of Nakuru and then Naivasha were the focus of the some of the worst post-election violence.

Eyewitnesses spoke of non-Kikuyu homes being marked, then gangs with machetes - who they claim were Mungiki - attacked people who were from other ethnic groups.
Sources inside the Mungiki have told the BBC that it was a renegade branch of the outfit that was responsible for violence, not them.

A policeman who was on duty at the time, who has spoken to the BBC on condition of anonymity, has also pointed to clear signs of state complicity.

He alleges that in the hours before the violence in Nakuru, police officers had orders not to stop a convoy of minibus taxis, called "matatus", packed with men when they arrived at police checkpoints.

"When we were there... I saw about 12 of them [matatus] packed with men," he said.
"There were no females... I could see they were armed.

"We were ordered not to stop the vehicles to allow them to go."
The current and previous minister for internal security have both been invited to respond to the allegations. So far they have declined to do so.

The allegations come at a time of growing concern that there was pre-planned violence on both sides of the political fence, in the aftermath of Kenya's disputed election result.

The International Crisis Group has already raised such concerns and Human Rights Watch is expected to publish its report making similar claims shortly.
There are plans to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the coming weeks to examine claims of election violence.

The allegations are likely to be among the themes investigated by a commission created to address the issue of post-election skirmishes.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7279149.stm